


Abandoned Yet Together

by cad_av_er



Category: Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (Cartoon)
Genre: Cuddling, Descriptions of Pain, F/F, F/M, M/M, Nightmares, Touch-Starved, ben pincus is precious, cursing, descriptions of injuries, dinosaurs are gay culture, kenji kon is a poor lonely rich boy and i adore him, not tarzan ben, these kids are traumatized
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28004040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cad_av_er/pseuds/cad_av_er
Summary: Kenji has never been a hugger.At least, that’s what he’d always believed. His dad and stepmom had never been around long enough for him to get used to affection or sentiment of any type, so he had grown to believe it wasn’t for him.Once he’d gotten to camp, he’d been surprised by the people there. They treated him like he was typical.However, what surprised him the most was the willingness of a certain anxious germaphobe to share his space.
Relationships: Darius Bowman/Brooklynn, Kenji Kon/Ben Pincus, Yasmina "Yaz" Fadoula/Sammy Gutierrez
Comments: 23
Kudos: 148





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> !!TRIGGER WARNINGS!!  
> Spoilers for Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (duh),  
> Mild intensity  
> Descriptions of pain and injuries  
> Cursing

Kenji has never been a hugger.

At least, that’s what he’d always believed. His dad and stepmom had never been around long enough for him to get used to affection or sentiment of any type, so he had grown to believe it wasn’t for him. 

Once he’d gotten to camp, he’d been surprised by the people there. They treated him like he was typical. Despite his parents, his wealth, and his connections, he knew they’d never just let him win a game. It was new to him- and definitely strange- but he found himself almost liking it (though he’d never admit that to the other campers’ faces).  
However, what surprised him the most was the willingness of a certain anxious germaphobe to share his space. At first, he was taken aback by, and a little bit uncomfortable with, the amount of physical affection Ben gave freely. If Kenji was completely honest, he’d never had so much contact with a single person as he’d had with Ben.  
In Kenji’s mind, it was huge. He felt like Ben was seeing some intimate, hidden part of him. But Ben didn’t seem to give it a second thought when he clung to Kenji. It was almost instinctual for him to grab someone’s hand or bury his face in their chest. 

And as much as Kenji hated to admit it, it was fairly obvious how much he missed Ben. If the others hadn’t forced him along with them to the docks, he would’ve stayed behind and risked his life to look for Ben and Bumpy. Instead, he held on to the last piece of either of them he had- Ben’s dork-pouch. Kenji hadn’t really looked through it to see if there were any useful supplies. (Outside of the hand sanitizer, which he would be eternally grateful for, and the map). Part of him felt like he shouldn’t mess with Ben’s stuff like that. He figured that Ben wouldn’t appreciate it if they had left him behind and used up all of his stock. 

“Kenji? Are you even listening right now?” Brooklynn asked, sounding exasperated. 

“Huh? Oh, sorry…” He drifted off, feeling guilty for ignoring his fr- the group. 

“...It’s whatever.” Brooklynn’s tone softened a bit after studying his expression. “We’re going to try to find the main park. We’re hoping that between the restaurants and other shops, there’ll be a place we can stay.” Kenji unzipped the dork pouch and grabbed the map. Unfolding it, he gestured to the southern tip of the island. 

“This is where we are. If we want to get to the main park, we’ll have to go back to where we got on the monorail, here.” He pointed to a spot much higher on the map than their current location. “Even if we go through the tunnels, it’ll be dark by the time we get there. I say we book it, find some food when we get there, and tomorrow morning we can look for one of my dad’s condos in the park. Those things are definitely filled with food, and I’m sure we can find medical supplies.”

“That’s a great idea, Kenji,” Sammy said sweetly, shooting him a quick grin and a thumbs up. Brooklynn nodded in agreement, while Darius patted his back and Yaz gave him an approving smirk.

“Let’s get going then.” Darius took up the lead as Kenji carefully folded up the map and put it back in the dork pouch before following the group.


	2. Ben

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! This chapter is gonna have some sorta intense fear scenes and scenes describing injuries/pain (plus some cursing), so be careful loves!   
> Also, this chapter is much longer than the first one.  
> Hope you enjoy!!

Ben was falling.

Hot tears flooded from his eyes as he squeezed them shut, too terrified to look at the pteranodons diving toward him. He tried to inhale once more, shakily, as he braced for impact. He felt the sting of branches scraping him as he fell, one particular limb catching his jaw and tugging the skin there open.

He felt like he was falling forever, but his meeting with the ground mere seconds later proved him wrong as he fell unconscious.

When he finally woke up, it was to something tickling his face. He blinked slowly, clearing his eyesight. A small, asymmetrical ankylosaurus bounded around him excitedly.

“...Bumpy?” He asked, knowing that she couldn’t answer. He sat up sluggishly, his head spinning as he did so. He brought a hand to the sharp pain on his face, feeling a large wet patch on his chin and jaw. He cringed, trying to think of a list of gross things he could’ve gotten on himself during the fall. He pulled his hand away from his face to inspect it before realizing it was blood. He swallowed down his nausea and tried to stand, though, between his dizziness and injuries from his landing, he couldn’t get a steady enough footing. He glanced around, trying to rub the sore, fuzzy feeling out of his face, before seeing a large branch that he undoubtedly broke from a tree during his fall. He grabbed it and used it to pull himself to his feet. It wasn’t entirely stable, but it would have to do- he clearly couldn’t stay here until he felt better. He looked around, trying to get a sense of where he was. It was clear that hours had gone by, and the sky was almost dark.

_The sun sets in the… it sets in… where does the sun set?_

Ben tried to gather his thoughts- it felt like he was grasping at smoke.

_The west._

He kept trying to place himself relative to the park, hoping that there’d be phones or food there. 

_We wanted to go south, which is… that way. The main park must be in the opposite direction. There!_

Ben felt proud of himself for figuring it out. He was sure he had a concussion, plus he was a sitting duck here. Ben limped toward what was hopefully the right direction. He found himself wishing that the others were with him, but he knew they had gotten off the island. He was happy for them, he really was, but he was also hoping that they hadn’t forgotten to send help to him.

Bumpy strolled alongside him slowly. Ben sighed; the odds of them making it before nightfall looked bleaker by the moment. Nevertheless, he hobbled along with the young ankylosaurus. He wasn’t sure how far they’d made it when all of a sudden, Bumpy took off into the bushes. Ben wobbled and stumbled to the ground, his breath hitching. Even though she wasn’t as fast as a fully grown ankylosaurus yet, Ben knew he’d never be able to catch up to her in his condition.

His heart pounded as her footsteps grew further away.

Ben was alone- he was going to die alone in a dinosaur-rampant jungle. He tried to steady his breathing. Instinctively, Ben reached for his fanny pack only to remember that it was left behind right before the monorail incident. His head ached; he just wanted to lie down. _What was it they say about sleeping with concussions? Was that about concussions or something else?_

He wished he had some water. He’d kill for a nice, warm shower right now. He wanted to lie down in a cozy bed, with actual pajamas and plenty of blankets and pillows. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be stranded, completely alone and surrounded by danger, barely able to think straight or walk. He laid down on the ground, resting the side of his face against the cold dirt and trying to calm down.

~~~

“Let’s get some air for a moment and see how much daylight we have left,” Darius suggested, pointing to the path ahead where there was a hatch leading to the jungle above. Everyone followed as he tried the hatch, which wouldn’t budge an inch. Darius backed down the ladder and let Kenji go ahead of him, who turned the stiff wheel and cracked open the circular door. He stepped out onto the grass, followed by the rest of the group. Kenji sat down on a large rock nearby and tried to stop himself from thinking.

Down in the tunnels, all they were doing was walking (except Brooklynn and Darius, who filled the silence with awkward flirting disguised as small talk). This meant that Kenji had too much time to think. Mostly about stuff he’d prefer not to think about in public out of fear of breaking down. He thought about the group that accompanied him- and how much better they were to him than anyone his age he’d hung out with before. He thought about all the people who dated him just for tickets and VIP passes and attention. He thought about how none of the people here would do that. He thought about Sammy’s ranch going through hard times and how far she’d be willing to go to help her loved ones.

But most of all, he had been thinking about Ben. He thought about how he wished he had stepped in and helped Darius. He thought about how rude he was, even though it was not sincere. He was a tease, but he regretted not being more friendly and genuine. He hoped that wherever Ben was, he knew they missed him and wanted to find him more than anything.

Kenji sighed, rubbing his face. It seemed that even in the fresh air with a slight chill in the breeze, he couldn’t shift his focus from the missing group member. He fiddled with the zipper slider on Ben’s dork pouch, allowing himself to drift off in thought, daydreaming about a surprisingly firm grip and concerning amounts of hand sanitizer. He was suddenly torn from his imagination by twigs snapping and rustling in nearby bushes. He jumped to his feet, ready to run at a moment’s notice. The others looked alert as well; Yaz’s cattle prod crackled with power as she flipped it on.

Foliage trembled before a blur burst through, knocking Kenji backward. Kenji gasped, bracing himself for the inevitable bite, only to be shocked by a cold tongue licking his cheek.

“What the hell?” He squeaked, turning his face away. “Bumpy?” The ankylosaurus made a small, happy noise and continued to try to lick him. “You’re okay!” he grinned, hugging her awkwardly and laughing with relief.

“Where did she come from?” Darius wondered aloud, looking off in the direction she appeared from. Kenji ignored his question, instead choosing to focus on Bumpy, who was tugging his sleeve.

“What is it?” He asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

“I think we should follow her,” Sammy interjected. Kenji stood as Bumpy stumbled forward, turning to make sure he was behind her.

Bumpy led the group through the thick vegetation as they all tried to think of where she might be taking them.

Soon enough, the brush gave way to a small clearing. There, a skinny, familiar boy laid on the ground covered in blood and muck. For a moment, Kenji thought of how much the scene looked like something out of a brutal renaissance painting. Chasing the thought from his head, he rushed over to the nearly-unconscious teen.

“Ben? Ben, are you okay?” Kenji asked, unable to keep the tears from flooding out of both relief and concern. Ben was alive, but he was also clearly in terrible condition. Judging by how far they were from the area where he fell, Kenji was a little surprised he had made it this far with his injuries.

“Kenji?” Ben squinted, trying to make sense of the situation.

“Can I pick you up? How bad is it?” Kenji was overtaken with concern, but he didn’t want to move Ben and risk worsening his injuries.

“I think… I think I have a concussion… But I should be fine to walk, really, it’s okay. I don’t want you going out of your way-”

“If carrying you won’t make things worse, I’m going to do it. Come on, c’mere.” Before Ben could protest, Kenji gently slipped an arm under his neck and slowly pulled him closer until Ben could bury his face in his chest. Moving carefully (with the hope that he didn’t upset Ben’s head more), Kenji hooked an arm under his knees and picked him up. He stood, hoisting Ben and getting back on his feet with less effort than expected. “Is this okay?” Ben nodded, leaning his cheek softly against Kenji’s chest. “We should get going- the faster we get there, the faster we can look for supplies for Ben and Yaz.”

Darius nodded, “Here, Brooklynn and I will help hold Ben steady so you can go down first.” Kenji hesitated a moment before gently lowering Ben’s legs to the ground as Darius and Brooklynn came to his sides and supported him. Kenji hurried down the ladder, standing at the bottom as Ben shakily started to follow him. He made it most of the way down before slipping on a rung. He gasped as he fell back, losing his grip with shock. Kenji immediately rushed forward and caught him, wrapping his arms around Ben and holding him closely. Ben turned in Kenji’s arms to face him, his heart racing from the scare.

“Are you okay?” Kenji asked, lowering them both to sit on the floor and releasing his grip.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ben sighed, nodding. “I think I’m just a bit… shaken, y’know?”

“Sure,” Kenji smiled sympathetically, “here, let me help.” he stood and held out both of his hands for Ben to take. Ben reached out, gripping his hands tightly as Kenji pulled him up. Their chests nearly brushed together before they stepped apart.

Getting Bumpy down the ladder was much more difficult, but after carefully crafting a system, they managed. Kenji waited for everyone else to make their way down the hatch before gently picking Ben back up, being cautious of his injuries, and leading them down the tunnels.

“Have you noticed that we haven’t made a wrong turn in a while?” Sammy asked Yaz, making a point of looking at Kenji and Ben further down the tunnel with Bumpy close at Kenji’s heels.

“I think… now that Ben’s back, he brought their shared brain cell with him.” Yaz shrugged, keeping a straight face even while joking. Sammy smiled, giggling in response. As her laughter died down, a thick wave of guilt settled uncomfortably in her chest. She felt stupid for letting a friend like Yaz get away.

“You know… I really am sorry about lying to you. I just wasn’t sure how to tell you, and I couldn’t risk getting caught and losing everything my family worked so hard for. You’re justified in being mad, but I hope that someday, you can forgive me.” Sammy sighed, rubbing her eyes. “It’s been a long couple of days.”

“I know you had your reasons- I can give you that much for sure- but it still hurt. I think it would be easier if we uh… started over?” Yaz suggested anxiously. She was clearly avoiding eye contact, and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Hi, I’m Sammy Gutierrez. I’m from Texas, and my family owns a huge ranch. We hit a rough patch... I took a deal to spy on this park to help pay off our debt- and that’s the truth.” Sammy held her hand out. Yaz looked at it for a moment before shaking it.

“I’m Yasmina Fadoula, I like drawing, and I compete in track competitions. I don’t really have any friends- I spend the majority of my time training. It’s difficult for me to trust others, so I’ve avoided it. That’s my truth.” She admitted, internally wincing at how exposed the conversation made her feel. However, one look into Sammy’s eyes showed her that she wasn’t the only one who’s been emotionally bared to the elements. With that, she smiled softly, feeling a bit less alone. As they continued walking, she took Sammy’s hand and smiled as she told outrageous stories about her family back home.

“We’re almost there!” Kenji called from the front, covering one of Ben’s ears and pressing the other closer to his chest, so the noise didn’t hurt his head. Kenji was not, by any stretch of the imagination, an expert on concussions. However, he figured that they were like awful headaches, and loud noises and bright lights would most likely not ease the pain.

Up ahead in the tunnel, there was another hatch leading up to the surface. If memory served Kenji right, it would lead to an area pretty close to the front gate. He lowered Ben to the ground carefully, making sure he was standing steadily before climbing up the ladder and unsealing the hatch. He peered around at the jungle before declaring it safe. He gestured for the others to follow, sitting on his knees in the grass as Darius stood below the ladder in case Ben, who was slowly climbing up, lost his grip again. Once he had gotten high enough, Kenji took his arms and cautiously pulled him up through the opening. Once Ben was safely sat next to Kenji on the grass, the others quickly made their way up.

“Ooh, my favorite part,” Kenji teased. He lifted Ben off the ground, smiling fondly. (If anyone asked, he’d deny ever being ‘fond’ of Ben. Luckily, nobody needed to ask, as it was an understood thing).

“Oh yeah, I just adore being carried around like some helpless princess.” Ben rolled his eyes, pretending to be annoyed as he leaned his cheek against Kenji’s surprisingly warm chest.

“Is that why you’re snuggled up to him?” Brooklynn smirked, wishing she still had her phone to immortalize their shocked, blushing expressions on social media.

“No! I’m not ‘snuggled up to him’! It’s just… getting breezy!” He frowned.

“Don’t worry. You’re not a helpless princess; you’re just Kenji’s princess.” Yaz’s tone was dripping with fake innocence as she bit back laughter from her own joke.

“I- we- ugh!” Ben turned away, hiding his face in Kenji’s filthy blue shirt. Kenji chuckled awkwardly, his cheeks bright red.

“Come on, we’re getting close.” Kenji switched the subject while the others’ laughter was still wearing off. He thought a moment before heading through the brush, letting the others scramble to catch up to him, Ben, and Bumpy.

They only had to walk for a couple of minutes before they were greeted by the large gate to the park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave kudos or comment, it brightens my day :))  
> If you have better title ideas p l e a s e let me know this one is a placeholder in case I can come up with something better (I'll credit you if you want)  
> If you have any questions, comments, concerns, etc, feel free to talk to me!  
> My tumblr is @cad-av-er  
> My twitter is @bamosaurus1127  
> Anywho, enjoy your day loves!


	3. Nightfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group finally finds the main park and tries to get settled in.
> 
> WARNING!! this chapter has some descriptions of injuries as well as nightmares and the inability to sleep. If any of these trigger you then I ask that if you choose to continue, please do so with caution! I love you guys and I don't want you to be uncomfortable or hurt. Stay safe loves!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to Amy, who single-handedly cured my writer's block and made me cry tears of happiness at the same time. Ames: you're so awesome and your mind can only be described as brilliant and I'm so glad to be friends with you!!
> 
> ~*~
> 
> This took five-ever to write but I really love it and I hope you do too!! <3

The group cheered; Kenji grinned, making sure Ben’s ears weren’t bothered, and walked through the gate, which was wide open (presumably from fleeing park-goers). They stared in awe at the massive buildings surrounding them as they wandered in. The park seemed to sprawl out further than they could see.

“It’d be cool if I didn’t know why it’s so trashed...” Ben mumbled.

“In here, we can see if they have anything useful,” Kenji suggested, nodding toward one of many different gift shops. He approached the building cautiously, pushing open the door and peeking in. As soon as he gave the group a nod, they entered. Kenji immediately started his desperate search for a half-decent first aid kit. He sat Ben down on the empty cashier’s counter, giving his shoulders a supportive squeeze before setting off. Bumpy followed him around for a bit as he searched through the shelves of oddly-named lotions and chapsticks, huffing in exasperation when he found nothing. He looked near the novelty backpacks and wilderness survival books, picking up one of each just in case. He also grabbed a couple of cheap-looking travel mugs to fill with water, but he couldn’t find medical supplies anywhere. He found a package of paper party bowls. He ripped it open, filling one in the bathroom sink. He grabbed a couple of washcloths from a cabinet so he could at least try to clean up some of the gunk on Ben’s face.

After nearly tearing the store apart and losing Bumpy to Ben via boredom, Kenji finally thought to look behind the counter. Lo and behold, a heavy plastic case painted an alarming shade of red was tucked in a drawer. He set it on the counter and undid the clasps, which were stiff from disuse. He dug around until he found a package of large band-aids and a bottle of Bactine.

“Here,” Kenji held out his empty hand for Ben, “this is definitely going to sting, but it’ll keep the cut on your jaw from getting infected.” Ben took his hand, squeezing it lightly in anticipation. “Sorry…” Kenji winced, spraying the wound with Bactine. Ben hissed in pain, squeezing Kenji’s hand with a surprisingly sturdy grip.

“Sorry, sorry! Are you okay?” Kenji asked, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. He put the bottle down and brought a hand to Ben’s un-cut cheek. Ben nodded, clenching his teeth as the pain started to die down. “Here, let me clean your face and put a band-aid on it, okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Ben agreed, relaxing a bit. Kenji took a washcloth and dipped it in the bowl of water, gently rubbing tiny circles on Ben’s cheek to remove the patches of dirt he wore there. He used another cloth to dry Ben’s face before carefully applying a large bandaid there.

“You won’t need stitches, but I think it might scar?” Kenji gave the best analysis he could, sealing the bandage on. Ben blushed at the feeling of Kenji’s fingers brushing across his face.

“Why are you taking such good care of me?” Ben let the question slip out, stopping Kenji in his tracks as he was about to start cleaning the rest of Ben’s face.

“...What do you mean?” 

“I mean carrying me around, always asking if I’m okay, and cleaning my face. I’m not a baby, y’know.” Ben frowned, crossing his arms. Sure, he was overly cautious and perhaps a little meek, but he wasn’t _helpless_ , and a part of him needed Kenji to know that. 

“I know you’re not a baby! You’ve been through so much, and you’re still mostly standing— I’m genuinely impressed. It’s just… I don’t know, it’s weird…” Kenji avoided looking into Ben’s eyes, “When you… on the monorail, I froze. I could’ve helped Darius pull you up. I could’ve done something- _anything_ ,” Kenji rambled. His face turned pink as tears stung his eyes and throat, not quite prominent enough to fall.

“Kenji, what happened on the monorail is not your fault, or Darius’s fault, or even my fault. It’s nobody’s fault, and if our roles were switched, I’m sure I would’ve reacted the same way. I can’t blame you for freezing up any more than you can blame me for falling. We’re only human.”

“Wow, Ben, that was actually really profound.” Kenji raised an eyebrow, yet again impressed by the boy in front of him. 

“I told you I’m not _totally_ useless. Stop feeling so guilty; you don’t need to take care of me.” Ben smiled, hoping he’d helped Kenji feel better.

“You’re right, I don’t need to take care of you…” Kenji started, grabbing the washcloth and cleaning Ben’s other cheek, “but I’m tired of not caring about anything— or anyone.” A bright red blush crept its way up Ben’s neck and cheeks, much to his dismay. He knew Kenji noticed based on the soft chuckle that it had elicited from him, but he didn’t seem to mind. Ben bit his lip nervously but was considerably less embarrassed when he saw a similar hue of pink tinting Kenji’s face and ears. He smiled a tiny smirk and watched Kenji’s expression as he cleaned his face. 

“There, it’s not perfect, but it’s a start. I can finally see your face again,” Kenji teased, tossing the rag aside.

“Thank you, really. I’m so lucky you have my back,” Ben said, after a moment’s hesitation. He’d considered teasing Kenji or figuring out what everything he said meant. He decided against it- wanting to be completely real for a minute.

“Oh… of course, any time.” Kenji held out his hands for Ben to take so he could return to the ground. “Do you think you can walk?”

“Yeah, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Ben took Kenji’s hands and lowered himself to the ground gently.

“Okay, well…” Kenji paused “if you change your mind, you know where I am.” He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Do you want to walk with me?” Ben hoped Kenji didn’t think he was being pushed away. Kenji nodded, smiling subtly (though he couldn’t hide it from Ben, they were much too close). 

“The restaurant across the street has booths, I think that’s our best bet for sleeping somewhere comfortable tonight.” Brooklynn shuddered at the thought of the cold vinyl. “Are we done here?” The group nodded in response. “All right, let’s go.” Ben nibbled his lip nervously for a second before putting an arm around Kenji’s torso. It was a lot less awkward to reach than his shoulders- even though Kenji wasn’t more than a few months older than him, he was much taller. 

“For support.” Ben smiled, not actually trying to convince Kenji anymore. Kenji’s face reddened as he grinned sheepishly, putting his arm around Ben’s back to help support him. The others pretended not to notice with the sneaking suspicion that this was a private moment.

The walk wasn’t long, so they made it in silence. The wide lanes of the road weren’t ideal for Ben and Yaz, but they made do. Fortunately, in the rush to leave, the staff hadn’t locked the doors and the group of teens walked in easily. 

The booths were frigid, stiff, and pretty short for sleeping on. Yaz and Sammy unpacked a bounty of blankets emblazoned with dinosaurs and logos and passed them out. There was an unspoken agreement that Yaz and Ben would get the much larger corner booths. It didn’t take long for a raid on the kitchen to be organized. 

Eating was a quick ordeal- everyone was sore, drained, and ready for the day to end. Sleep took them over easily enough and for most of them, it kept them just as effortlessly. Nearly everyone was out like a light the moment their head hit the vinyl. 

It wasn’t that Ben didn’t feel tired, it wasn’t even that he was having trouble falling asleep. Staying asleep was his real problem. Every time he closed his eyes, he relived another horror from the past few days. Finally, knowing that deep down he was much too scared to try sleeping again, Ben sat up in his booth. If he’d had his phone, he’d be playing games or reading. Unfortunately, all he had was the eerie, dim silence suffocating his surroundings and threatening to choke him next. It was the type of quiet that rings in your ears so loudly you’re sure something’s making the noise.

Ben scooted to the edge of the booth and slunk to the ground, joining Bumpy on the floor and hoping desperately that she wouldn’t wake up. The last thing he wanted was for Bumpy to be startled awake and disturb everyone else in the process. He sighed softly in frustration, pressing his palms into his eyes and trying to rub his exhaustion away. 

A loud, sudden gasp from a few booths away startled Ben into a state of alarm. He squinted his eyes, trying to discern the face of the shaky figure sitting up in the dark. 

“Kenji?” He whispered, careful not to wake the others. 

“Ben? Are you okay?” Kenji asked, his voice unsteady even for a whisper. 

“I could ask you the same question.” Ben crawled over to Kenji’s booth and kneeling on the floor next to it. Kenji rolled over, leaning his chin on the heels of his hands, propped up by his elbows pressing into the cold vinyl. “Do you want to tell me about it? You don’t have to, obviously, I don’t know if that’s really your thing or-”

“I’ve been having nightmares!” Kenji blurted, causing Ben to wince and look around to make sure he didn’t wake anyone up. Once he was sure nobody had stirred, he turned back to Kenji, giving an empathetic look. 

“It’s not like I’ve never had bad dreams before, but these are different. Awful, vivid. The types of dreams that you know you’ll remember for years,” Kenji mumbled, trying to be more considerate of their sleeping comrades. 

“I know what it’s like… I've had them recently, too. I’m sure it’s just stress, Kenji.” Ben assured him, hoping to help calm his nerves. 

“Do you wanna hear something stupid?” Kenji smiled, a bit anxiously, like he’d bolt the moment he spoke his mind. “I’m… scared to go to sleep. The nightmares make it hard to stay asleep for long and I keep getting nervous and jittery every time I try. Plus, what if something happens while we’re all asleep and there’s no warning? It’s weird, I know-“ 

“There’s nothing weird about that. Kenji, we’ve been through so much these past few days; no one can blame you for being scared. You can’t help it, and you can’t help how it manifests itself.” Ben smiled, something soft and supportive. “Hey, do you want to raid the ice cream freezer until you feel better?”

Kenji grinned, sliding out of the booth and helping Ben to his feet. As quietly as they could, they made their way to the kitchen and searched for spoons. A giant tub of mint chocolate chip was retrieved as Ben cracked a few horrible jokes in an attempt to lighten Kenji’s mood. 

They spent hours sitting in Ben’s more spacious booth; at first hunched closely over the tub of frozen dessert, muffling laughter and stories from back home; but once they ran out of ice cream, they settled for leaning back against the cold seats with their shoulders pressed together as they strained to hear each other’s whispers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I project my troubles with sleeping and nightmares onto Kenji? Yes, yes I did.   
> Do I feel bad about it? You betcha  
> Am I going to do it again? It's entirely possible
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it!! Once again, many thanks to my pal Amy for giving me the inspiration to keep on keeping on!!!!!
> 
> Love you guys <333

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you're enjoying the story! I know this was pretty short but it seemed like the best place for a cut-off to me. Don't worry, future chapters are longer!!  
> If you have better title ideas p l e a s e let me know this one is a placeholder in case I can come up with something better (I'll credit you if you want)  
> If you have any questions, comments, concerns, etc, feel free to talk to me!  
> My tumblr is @cad-av-er  
> My twitter is @bamosaurus1127  
> Anywho, enjoy your day loves!


End file.
